On the IRS and Strange Bedfellows

All Saints continues to receive support from across the political & theological spectrum for our stand in challenging the IRS. Here's but one-of-many of the statements of support that concisely frames the issue on the table, forwarded from a conservative blog called Crosswalk.com

The leadership of the All Saints Church of Pasadena, California is under attack from the IRS for allowing a guest speaker to preach a sermon entitled, "If Jesus Debated Senator Kerry and President Bush." The sermon left no doubt in anyone's mind where the guest pastor stood on the Iraq war and President Bush's decision to continue to vigorously prosecute the war. But the pastor stopped short of endorsing Kerry for president nor did he instruct members of the congregation to vote for Kerry. Granted, while the sermon both in intent and in content marched the church right up to the IRS tax exempt line in the sand it did not push the church across. As I said before, I find the content of the sermon to be offensive and just plain wrong on the facts of the Iraq war but war is a moral issue and both sides of the issue must have the freedom to address the moral side from the pulpit without fear of government reprisal.